Food Safety Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is it safe to eat steaks cooked medium rare or medium, but not hamburgers cooked that
way?
A. E.coli 0157: H7 bacteria can live in cattle's digestive systems. During processing, meat can be
contaminated with the bacteria. With steaks, E.coli 0157: H7 is on the surface of the meat and is
easily killed when the meat cooks on a hot grill. When meat is ground, however, the bacteria can
be mixed throughout the hamburger, where it is harder to destroy. Hamburgers often look done
before the meat is thoroughly cooked. Cook all ground meats to at least 155° F for 15 seconds to
destroy E.coli 0157: H7. The meat should not be pink inside and juices should not be red or pink.
Cook non-ground meats to at least 145°F for 15 seconds to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Q. Can I use alcohol towelettes to sanitize my thermometers in between uses?
A. Yes, and you should let it air-dry before you use the thermometer again.
Q. How long should employees wash hands and what kind of soap is best?
A. Twenty seconds-have them sing Happy Birthday twice (even sung quickly, it takes just about
that much time). Really any good hand soap will do, but there are plenty of great anti-bacterial
soaps on the market for added protection. The important things to remember are to wash hands:
 with vigorous agitation
 under hot-as-you-can-stand running water
 and scrub from the tips of the fingers up and over all exposed areas of the forearms.
Q. What is the best way to thaw frozen meats?
A. The safest method is overnight in a 41°F walk-in or refrigerator. Make sure the meats are
contained, lightly covered and placed on the lowest racks so the juices from the thawing meats
don't drip down on other foods. If you don't have overnight, you can safely thaw packaged meats
under cold running water. Make sure you thoroughly clean and sanitize the sink before and after
thawing the meats.
Q. I have a question about the temperature of medium rare roast beef. I realize that E.coli
0157:H7 won't be in the center of the roast. However, if the temperature danger zone is 41° F to
140°F, how can the beef be safe when it is 130°F in the center, as is stated in the ServSafe®
coursebook.
A. Any E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria that might be present on the surface of the beef roast would be
killed during the cooking process. The 130° F temperature is also dependent on maintaining the
temperature for 121 minutes to assure that any bacteria that may have been present will be
reduced or eliminated. The reason E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria maybe present in ground meat is due
to the surface contamination being distributed through the product during the grinding process.
ServSafe & PrepSafe Food Safety Tips
8 Common Causes of Foodborne Illness
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8.
Failure to cool food properly.
Failure to heat or cook food properly.
Poor hygiene, bacteria-carrying employees contaminate food.
Food prepared one or more days prior to consumption
Raw food mixed with cooked or reheated food.
Food left in the temperature danger zone too long.
Leftover food is not reheated to the proper temperature.
Cross-contamination.
FAT-TOM: What Microorganisms Need to Grow:
F=Food
A=Acid
T=Time
T=Temperature
O=Oxygen
M=Moisture
The acronym FAT-TOM can help you remember the conditions that promote the growth of
microorganisms. Microorganisms need nutrients in order to grow, specifically proteins and
carbohydrates. They grow best in foods that have a neutral pH.
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The biggest threat to food safety is contamination my bacteria.
To keep food safe during preparation and cooking, you must follow the four-hour rule.
Never let food remain in the temperature danger zone (41 degrees F – 140 degrees F) for
more than 4 hours. Any potentially hazardous food kept between these temperatures longer
than four hours must be thrown away immediately.
Handwashing:
People pose a major risk to safe food, especially foodhandlers who do not practice personal
hygiene. Good personal hygiene is a critical protective measure against contamination and
foodborne illness.
Proper handwashing includes using hot soapy water, lathering your hands for at least 20 seconds,
cleaning between fingers and fingernails, rinsing hands thoroughly, turning off the faucet with a
sanitary single-use paper towel, and drying your hands with a single-use paper towel or a warmair hand dryer. A tip is to sing Happy Birthday twice so that you wash your hands for the correct
amount of time. Hand sanitizers and gloves should never be used in place of good handwashing!
Measuring Food Temperatures
 Wash, rinse, sanitize (alcohol wipe) and air dry thermometers before and after each use.
 Measure internal temperatures of foods by inserting the end of the probe into the center of the
product, usually the thickest part.
 Calibrate the thermometer regularly to make sure it is accurate.
 Take temperature in two different locations with two separate readings.
 Check the temperature of packaged refrigerated or frozen foods my inserting the
thermometer probe between two packages in the center of a case.
 Fold soft packages around the sensing area.
 When the needle or dial stops, wait fifteen seconds to record temperature.
Minimum Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures:
 Ground or flaked meats like hamburger should be at 155 degrees F for 15 seconds in a
restaurant according to ServSafe and 160 when speaking to consumers.
 Beef & pork roasts (rare) should be at 145 degrees F for 3 minutes.
 Beef steaks should be at 145 degrees F for 15 seconds.
 Any potentially hazardous food cooking in the microwave oven should be cooked to 165
degrees F; let food stand for 2 minutes after cooking.
 Casseroles should be cooked to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds.
4 ways to thaw foods properly:
#1: Thaw food in the refrigerator at temperatures of 41 degrees F or less.
#2: Submerge the frozen product in running potable (water that’s safe to drink) at a temperature
of 70 degrees F or below.
#3: Food may be thawed in a microwave oven, only if it will be cooked immediately afterward.
#4: Food may be thawed as part of any cooking procedure as long as the product reaches the
required minimum internal cooking temperature.
Two-stage cooking method: By this method, cooked foods must be cooled from 140 degrees F to
70 degrees F within 2 hours and from 70 degrees F to below 41 degrees F in an additional 4
hours for a total cooling time of 6 hours.
Reheating potentially hazardous food: Food must be reheated to an internal temperature of 165
degrees F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours. If the food has not reached 165 degrees F for 15
seconds within 2 hours, throw it out.